Richard Schiff
|DOB = May 27, 1955 |birthplace = Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A |imdb_id = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0771493/ |Image = Richard Schiff.png }} Richard Schiff is one of the semi-recurring actors of Once Upon a Time, portraying the role of King Leopold. Biography 'Life and Career' Schiff was born in Bethesda, Maryland, the second of three sons of Charlotte, a television and publishing executive, and Edward Schiff, a real estate lawyer. He dropped out of high school, but later obtained an equivalency diploma. In 1973, he studied briefly at The City College of New York (CCNY) but did not graduate. He moved to Colorado where he found employment cutting firewood. Returning to New York in 1975, he began to study acting at CCNY and was accepted into their theater program. Schiff initially studied directing. He directed several off-Broadway plays, including Antigone in 1983 with a just-graduated Angela Bassett. In the mid-1980s, Schiff decided to try his hand at acting and landed several TV roles. He was seen by Steven Spielberg in an episode of the TV drama High Incident and was cast in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). His career began an upward climb that led to his co-starring role as White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler on Aaron Sorkin's award-winning television series The West Wing. Schiff became known for his introverted and intense approach to his craft as well as his low-key delivery style. 1995 saw Schiff playing a lawyer in the hit Se7en. In 1996, Schiff guest starred on the TV series ER, and appeared in NYPD Blue the following year. In 1996, he played a corrupt probation officer in City Hall. Schiff played a doctor alongside Eddie Murphy in the 1998 Dr. Dolittle remake. He also played Col./Brig. Gen. Robert Laurel Smith in the 1998 HBO TV movie The Pentagon Wars, based on the real-life development of the US Army's Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. That same year, Schiff appeared in the movie Deep Impact, in which he played Don Beiderman. Schiff appeared in one episode of Becker during its first season. In 2001, he acted in the movie What's the Worst That Could Happen?. He played the part of the tough Mr. Turner in I Am Sam opposite Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer and co-starred in People I Know with Al Pacino. Schiff appeared in the 2004 film Ray as Ray Charles' producer, Jerry Wexler, shaving his beard for the role. After working on The West Wing for six seasons, Schiff chose to leave the series, fulfilling his contractual obligations by appearing in half of the following season's episodes. When NBC chose to end the series, Schiff continued his appearances until the end of the show's run in May 2006, though he did not appear in the series finale. That same year he starred along with Peter Krause in the thriller Civic Duty. Schiff had a cameo appearance as himself in the second season finale of Entourage. In early 2006, Schiff returned to his stage roots, starring in the premiere run of Underneath the Lintel, a one-act, single-character play by Glen Berger, at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In February 2007, he appeared in the West End production of Underneath the Lintel in the Duchess Theatre in London, England, and appeared on BBC Radio Five Live and talked at length to Simon Mayo about his experiences acting in The West Wing and his new West End production. In 2007, he appeared as Philip Cowen in the season finale of Burn Notice. A radio version of Underneath the Lintel, performed by Schiff, was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on January 5, 2008. Schiff starred in Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey in the fall of 2008, as accountant Matt Friedman, opposite Margot White as Sally Talley. Later that year Schiff co-starred in Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson and Another Harvest Moon with Ernest Borgnine and appeared in the season finale of Eli Stone. Schiff played Charles Fischer in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He also played an Orthodox rabbi on an episode of In Plain Sight with former The West Wing co-star Mary McCormack. In 2009, he co-starred in the movies Imagine That, with Eddie Murphy, and Solitary Man, with Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon. Later in 2009, he went back to London to shoot two other movies: The Infidel and Made in Dagenham. Schiff also appeared as a hypnotist in one episode of Monk's seventh season. Schiff has been cast to star in the new Showtime series House of Lies, opposite Kristen Bell and Don Cheadle. He also stars in the TV movie Innocent with Bill Pullman. He has a semi-recurring guest role in the TV series Once Upon a Time and has joined Helen Hunt in the movie Decoding Annie Parker. Gallery Gallery of behind the scene stills released to promote the actor. BTS 111 01.png BTS 111 02.png BTS 111 04.png BTS 111 05.png BTS 111 07.png BTS 111 09.png BTS 111 11.png BTS 111 14.png BTS 111 15.png BTS 118 10.png BTS 118 13.png Category:Minor Cast Category:Season 1 Cast